The present invention relates generally to end caps, and more particularly to axially-sealed, end caps which provide fluid-tight seals between dissimilar materials.
In industries such as chemical processing and semiconductor manufacturing, corrosion resistant processing and manufacturing equipment is essential. For example, ultra-pure de-ionized (UPDI) water--a corrosive liquid--is heated for use in manufacturing semiconductor devices. Thus, the equipment used for heating UPDI water must be capable of withstanding the corrosive effects of the UPDI water that flows therethrough.
Quartz has been used extensively for constructing process equipment in the semiconductor industry. One reason is that quartz is chemically resistant to most process fluids, including UPDI water. However, conventional quartz UPDI water heating systems are generally unreliable and expensive to operate because they tend to develop fluid leaks, and must therefore be continually serviced. More specifically, forming reliable fluid-tight seals between dissimilar components (e.g., quartz and plastic) of UPDI water heaters has been a problem.
Accordingly, it has been considered desirable to develop a new and improved end cap for providing a fluid-tight seal between dissimilar materials which meets the above-stated needs and overcomes the foregoing difficulties and others while providing better and more advantageous results.